Yanni Gourde was born on December 15, 1991, in Saint-Narcisse, Quebec. A product of the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Major Junior League, where he was the top scorer and league MVP in 2011-12, Gourde was undrafted by an NHL club. When his junior career came to an end, Gourde joined the Worcester Sharks of the AHL.

On March 10, 2014, as an unrestricted free agent, Gourde signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was subsequently assigned to the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he would go on to lead the team with 29 goals during the 2014-15 season. His strong play was rewarded on December 15, 2015, when Gourde received his first recall to the NHL. made his NHL debut in a 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gourde would once again split time between Syracuse and Tampa Bay during the 2016-17 season. In 20 games with the Lightning he scored six times and added a pair of assists. In 56 games with the Crunch he scored 22 times and recorded 26 assists.